


Long Hair

by becca_the_quiet_one



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, pidge has long hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 01:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12643110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becca_the_quiet_one/pseuds/becca_the_quiet_one
Summary: “No, that’s not true.” Lance rocked back and forth. “You are more than entitled to your emotions, and no one can ever fault you for that.”A failed mission makes Pidge makes Pidge question how much she is willing to give for the cause.





	Long Hair

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. School is kicking my ass.

She should’ve known this day was coming.

It was simple, really. Sneak into the base, avoid catching any eyes, gather the intel, get out. They’d done it a thousand times.

Pidge steeled her breath as she ducked behind a corner, narrowly avoiding the sentry walking down the hall. This information was crucial, increased knowledge of Galra supply and repair ships could be essential to crippling this section of the Empire. 

As the sentry passed, she shot her bayard, piercing it in the back and killing it instantly, too quick for it to send out any kind of distress signal.

“Nice work Pidge.” Shiro praised in her earpiece.

“Thanks. Have you gotten in yet?”

“Not yet, just give me a few more minutes.”

She heard footsteps, irregular, and certainly not from a drone. “I might not be able to give you those.” She whispered frantically, trying to be as quiet as possible.

But not quiet enough, as when she turned around to check, a guard was in her face with a very large knife.

“Well,well,” He sneered, “It seems we have an intruder.”

Pidge reached for her bayard, which did not go unnoticed.

“So, a paladin of Voltron? Maybe you’ll help me move up in ranks!” he pulled back his sword and swung with lightning speed. She just barely dodged and began to run.

“Shiro I’ve been spotted,” She yelled into her earpiece. “You’ve only got a few more seconds to get the info so hurry up!” 

He didn’t respond, and she kept running, trying to keep the guards attention on her instead of calling for a lockdown.

“You can’t run Paladin!” The hairs on the back on her neck tingled as she switched to using her jetpack. “I know this place far better than you do!”

“We’ll see about that.” Pidge muttered to herself as she pulled up the map of the ship.

She ducked beyond a corner as he threw his sword, just narrowly missing her foot. As he ran to retrieve it, she yelled into her earpiece.

“Shiro, I hope you’re done over there!”

“I got it, on my way to you now.” she sighed in relief, which didn’t last long, as she whipped her head around only to see-

Nothing, as her hair was obstructing her view. As she went to brush it away, the guard took his final swing, and everything went black.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Her first thought was “I hope I’m not in Galra prison.”

The panic that came along with that thought was bad, but nothing compared to the disappointment she had felt the first few times she woke up, when she believed it had been her brother and father who rescued her. But this time, it was her new family.

The regaining of consciousness meant that the cryo pod door opened before she was ready, as since her legs were unable to support her currently, she fell. Right into Matt of course.

“Hey there little sister.” His arms wrapped her in a huge bear hug, careful not to crush her. 

Pidge weakly returned the embrace, still waking up from the pod. “How long was I out?”

“About two days.” Matt released her from the hug, and as she looked into his face, she guessed that he probably had not taken care of himself at all since the mission.

“Have you slept at all?” She poked at his ribs. “Or eaten?”

“No. “Keith piped up from the corner of the room, “No he hasn’t”

“Oh, really?”Pidges eyebrow twitched.

“Alright, no need to go ballistic.” Hunk took Matt by the arm. “Let’s get you something to eat.” 

Hunk wrapped one arm around her and gave a squeeze. “Glad you’re awake.”

Matt looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could do so, Keith took his other arm.

“No, come on.” Keith began pulling him towards the kitchen. “She’ll still be here after you take a nap.”

Pidge shook her head, fully awake now. Her brother was whipped by his boyfriend.

“Pidge?”

Then again, she wasn’t any better.

“Lance?” Pidge turned, and found herself in the second bear hug of the day. Lance buried his head in her shoulders as he lifted her up off the ground.

“Hey,” He replied, as his arms tightened around her waist, “I missed you.”

Her arms snaked around his neck. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled back and looked her in the face. “Don’t be, I’m glad you’re safe.”

She leaned in and kissed him. He reciprocated eagerly.

“Ahem.” At Shiros voice, they begrudgingly pulled apart. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s some things we need to talk about, Pidge.”

Lance set her down. “I’ll go let Coran and Allura know you’re awake.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her on he forehead, then turned to leave.

As the door closed, Shiro finally spoke. “We need to talk about this mission Pidge.”

“Did you get the intel?” She dodged, trying to avoid the question.

“I did, but that’s not the point.” His face softened from stoic leader to something a bit more caring. “What do you remember last?”

“I was hiding around a corner, then he swung at me. It must’ve knocked me out.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “Can I go now?”

“Not yet. “His brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“Well, yes.” Shiro sensed some attitude. “If your reaction time was too slow, then maybe I need to up training practice a little more.”  
“No, that wasn’t it.” She made a point of avoiding his eyes.

“So what was it then?” Shiro pressed.

She sighed, finally dropping her defenses. “My...my hair got in the way.”

Shiro quirked an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, my hair flew into my face, and when I went to brush it away, he swung.”

Shiro sighed. “Then I think we both know what needs to be done.”

Pidge swallowed hard. “Yeah.”  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes Pidge contemplated asking Allura about the process of saving memories, the way her father did. 

She never could get the courage however, as the one time she had asked about it, Alluras eyes had gone misty, and she’d had to excuse herself. The wound of having to destroy King Alfors memories was one that might never truly heal.

Pidge missed her father too. She decided to leave it alone.

But sometimes, when she couldn’t remember what her neighbors garage looked like, or she found she couldn’t list her old classmates names, she felt a rush of panic. Things that she had seen everyday were slipping her by, and there was nothing she could do about it. She hated feeling that helpless.

But some memories could never be forgotten. Important things, like Matt's 14th birthday, where he’d first told her he was bi, her father coming back from an interstellar mission, or the day they adopted the family dog. 

Or the day her mother had shown her how to tie up her hair. Another memory with fuzzy details, but it was worn from love, not time.

Tiny, five year old Katie, who begged her parents to let her grow her hair out. She couldn’t recall exactly which character it was she was aspiring to be at this time, but it may have been Hermione from Harry Potter.

So there she sat, crying as her mother worked out every tangle from her constantly messy locks.

But it was worth it, she would later think. She really did love having long hair, and didn’t mind taking care of it. As she got older, it became a nervous tick for her. Running her hands through it when she was stressed, braiding sections when she was anxious. Her long hair became part of her identity.

Then came the aftermath of the Kerberos mission, and she needed to be someone else. So Katie became Pidge, and chopping off several inches seemed like a small price to pay to be reminded of what she was fighting for. 

But her priorities had changed. The universe was bigger than Dad and Matt, and she was fighting for the rest of the people in it too.

But she was tired. Days of constant fear were dimming the light from her eyes, and the stress of fighting a war that was tens of thousands of years old was killing her. Lance would never admit it, but when his hands were under her shirt, he traced the ever prominent shape of her ribs, knowing how taut the skin there was getting. 

Now more than ever, she needed to feel even the tiniest bit of Katies childhood innocence. But was it worth it, if it could cost her her life?

It was an impossible question. Losing another connection to her past might kill her on the inside, but another failed mission could endanger the rest of her family.

It had been years since she had last seen her mother, but right now, she wished she could talk to her more than anything.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A knock at the door rose her out of her misery.

“Pidge?” Lance called. “You okay?”

She kicked off her blankets and stood up to answer the door. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Good.” Lance sighed. “I think if you had stayed in there any longer, Matt would’ve actually exploded.”

Pidge smiled. “I guess I should go see him.” She walked past him.

Lance stopped her before she could do so. “Is something wrong? You usually at least giggle when I make jokes about your brother.”

“I’m just thinking about the mission.” She dropped her smile. “

“Do you want to talk about it?” He took her hand.

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine but…” She looked at him quizzically. “How good are you with hair...stuff?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got three little siblings, so I think I know enough.”

“Perfect.” She pulled him across the hall into her bathroom. “I need your help.”

“I’m always willing to help you,” Lance said as Pidge rummaged through her medicine cabinet (which contained no actual medicine, just spare robotic pieces), “But can I ask what you’re doing?”

“Ah ha,” She rejoiced, finding what she was looking for. “I need you to cut my hair.” 

Lance looked alarmed. “What brought this on?” He asked.

“The reason I failed the mission is because my hair got in the way.” She shoved the scissors towards his chest. “I need you to cut it.”

Lance furrowed his brows. “But you love your hair?”

Pidge squinted her eyes. “I’ve never told you that.”

“I think we’ve been together long enough for me to notice.” Lance looked hurt, and she immediately regretted her words.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just…” She sighed and rubbed her hands against her face. “I just wish it wasn’t necessary.”

“Oh, baby.” He pulled her into his arms and leaned his head on top of hers. It forced her to calm down, but it also cost her the battle against the lump in her throat. 

“This is ridiculous,” She sobbed. “I’m supposed to be a defender of the fucking universe, and I’m crying over cutting my hair, like a preschooler.”

“No, that’s not true.” Lance rocked back and forth. “You are more than entitled to your emotions, and no one can ever fault you for that.”

They were quiet for a few minutes while Pidge shed a few more tears and hiccups, Lance never letting go.

“Thank you.” She sniveled.  
“No need to thank me, I’m just doing my job.” Lance nuzzled his face into her scalp before letting go. “Now let’s see what we can do about this hair.”

Pidge turned around and faced the mirror, dreading what was about to happen. Lance gathered her hair back into his hands, she took a deep breath and-

“Okay, finished.” 

That was fast, she thought. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Matt staring back at her again, but instead saw her hair pulled back into an extremely tiny ponytail, one that was probably going to fall out.

“Lance-”

“I know it’s not the long term solution you wanted, but if you give it a few more week to grow out,” Lance was pacing, afraid of Pidges reaction.

 

“Lance.”

“Then it’ll stay in, but if you still want me to-”

“LANCE!” He finally stopped and listened to his girlfriend.

Pidge wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a sweet kiss. When they parted, she kept him in place for a hug. “Thank you.”

Lance smiled. “No problem.”  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lance was right, and after a few weeks of gelling and hair treatments, her hair stayed in place. She was expecting Shiro to be mad, or at least disappointed, but instead he smiled and said she looked lovely.

Allura was quite happy with the result as well, saying that she could come to her room anytime if she was ever in need of any hair product.

Matt was energetic about the results too, saying she looked way too pretty to be anywhere in Lances league. (Said Paladin was less than pleased with this)

Lances reaction though, may have been her favorite.

Pidge sighed as she typed another line of code into her laptop. Sitting on Lances lap, she glanced at the video game he was playing.  
“Want a player two?” She asked hopefully.

“Always.” He paused the game to hook up a second controller, before handing it to her and resuming.

They played in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Pidge completely triumphed over her boyfriend.

“One more time.” Lance groaned.

Pidge laughed and disconnected the controller. “Nah, I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead.” she returned her eyes to her laptop, and was soon so engrossed that she failed to see Lance turn off the consol and begin to lovingly stare at her.

Shifting in his seat, he reached up and began to thread his hands through Pidges hair, enjoying the way she reclined her head in response. He leaned down to kiss her.

She sat her laptop down on the floor without breaking the kiss, and pulled him closer, liking the contact.

After a minute, Lance pulled back and gazed at her face. Hair in complete disarray, glasses slightly fogged, with kiss-bitten and swollen lips, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

“What are you staring at?” She demanded from under him.

He chuckled and pulled her back flush against his chest, leaning in to kiss her neck. 

“You look happier.” He muffled

“Yeah,” She said with a breathy moan, “Thanks to you.”


End file.
